Proposals for former Portland school continue to disappoint neighbors

PORTLAND — The Reed School Reuse Advisory Task Force, which met last week for the first time since June, will reconvene at least once more at the request of City Manager Jon Jennings.

The panel is charged with coming up with recommendations for the reuse of the vacant Thomas B. Reed School at 28 Homestead Ave. in the Riverton neighborhood.

The Dec. 16 meeting was called to look at a draft request for proposals and solicit public input. Two developers responded to the city’s request for qualifications last summer. One is a collaboration between Avesta Housing and Developers Collaborative LLC; the other is from Community Housing of Maine. Both are proposing to create senior housing.

Elise Scala, a resident and task force member, said she wanted the RFP to limit the density to 24 units, and ensure an adequate amount of open space.

Neighborhood resident and task force member Mark Johnson said the market dictated the responses they city received. He noted that the city only received the two responses, both of which were for senior housing.

“The city is not in a position to enforce development,” he said.

City Councilor David Brenerman, who co-chairs the task force, said the proposed designs are not considered final, and “36 units may be too many for the neighborhood to tolerate.” He said even after the city chooses a developer, there can still be changes to the size of the project.

“It’s not over even after the RFP goes out,” he said. “There is still room for negotiations.”

However, Brenerman said the city has no intention of retaining the building, which it has held since 2014. He said if the proposals the city receives are not adequate, the City Council will reject them. He said if no bids come in, councilors will have to change what they’re asking for.

Christine Grimando, the city’s senior planner, said she did not believe there will be “an infinite time line” for selling the building. She said this will be the city’s second winter holding the building, which costs money for heating and maintenance.

“It’s not getting in any better shape,” Grimando said.

In the event the 34,000-square-foot building, which was built in the 1920s, is demolished, Grimando said 16 single-family houses could be built in the R-3 residential zone. The city is seeking to change the zoning of the parcel to R-5 in order to allow multi-family housing.

Grimando said staff would take input from the meeting and continue to finalize the RFP.